Peroxy compounds, including monoperoxyphthalic compounds, have been used in oral compositions for a variety of purposes such as stain reduction: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,988,433 issued to Benedict on Oct. 26, 1976; 4,273,759 issued to Gaffar & Gaffar on Jun. 16, 1981; 4,490,269 issued to Gallopo on Dec. 25, 1984; and European Patent Application No. 0,133,354 of Interox Chemicals, Ltd., published Feb. 20, 1985. Monoperoxyphthalic acid compounds have also been disclosed in antigingivitis compositions: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,670,252 issued to Sampathkumar on Jun. 2, 1987; and 4,716,035 issued Sampathkumar on Dec. 29, 1987.
The present inventors have discovered that by maintaining the pH of the monoperoxy compositions within a certain range enhanced effectiveness of the monoperoxy compounds is achieved.
It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide compositions and methods which provide for enhanced antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy through the use of monoperoxy compositions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide compositions which have enhanced efficacy but also have very low levels of stain.
These and other objects will become more apparent from the detailed description below.
All percentages and ratios herein are by weight unless otherwise specified. Also, all measurements are made at 25.degree. C. unless otherwise specified.